Training exclusively on grass

I cannot go on unless someone acknowledges my joke. :help:

mikeh,
yes, it was funny, I correct myself when I tell people I train on grass… surfaces! Just like my pot plants at home, er, I mean plants in pots at home!

The Privateer,
yes, long spikes will work fine on regular track spikes. You will find, when you reach 4-5 strides per second, you really need a flat smooth surface, and good grip. The first 30-40 meters, even with blocks (bolted to the ground) will be fine on grass with spikes, IMHO.

Thank you. Now I can go on.:afro:

Hi I’ve been lurking on these forums for some time and thought I might offer something to try for shin splints…You might try taking a calcium supplement, I started getting shin splints real bad a couple of years ago and tried all the various things suggested above which helped but ultimately would not totally relieve the condition. Following a bad week of heartburn (some kind of food poisoning or something) where I was eating lots of Tums everyday I noticed my shin splints felt much better. So I went and bought a calcium supplement and started taking just the USRDA everyday and within 2-3 weeks my legs felt much better and in a month or 2 the pain was completely gone (all while still training too). I just don’t think most athletes get enough calcium in their diet unless they can stomach drinking a quart of milk a day (or eating a couple of pounds of broccoli everyday). As I’ve gotten older I can’t handle drinking lots of milk so the supplement has been a cheap and easy way to make sure I get at least 100% of my daily allowance of calcium. I also take a multi-vitamin which has some calcium in it but not very much. The key for me was making sure I get at least that 100% RDA. I’m writing this off the top of my head but I remember reading somewhere that your body can’t use much more than 150-200% of the RDA of calcium so I figure if you take 100% and eat a normal healthy diet you should never be much over the 150-200% recommended max. I’ve been pain free (well at least as far as shin splints go) for a couple of years now and I run on a pretty hard track several times a week.

rmayes

My diet is improving.

mikeh

Sometimes I thing aspirin will not be enough.

xlr8

I am on my way to the doctor this week.

fjlee

Thank you for all your help. I will probably try to do low volume speed work on tartan instead of training exclusively on grass. Tempo would be on grass or replaced with bodyweight exercises to lessen strain on lower legs.

one thing to check is the fogotten SHOES!

for shin splints, make sure they are flexible, and not stiff when you bend them.

I change them every season (2X per year)… I wish I had a shoe contract.

Charlie,

Are these cheaper type shoes, brand name shoes (ie. Nike, etc) or no-name brands? If the latter, what is your opinion on them?

Also, I know your form Toronto and so am I, do you know any stores in the GTA that have good deals on both flats and spikes?

looking to get some

thnx Charlie

ONE THING THAT U COULD TRY TO HELP WITH THE SORENESS ARE RUBBER PADS THAT SIT UNDER YOUR HEEL, THEY LESSEN THE STRETCH, I HAD A RUPTURED ACHILLES ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO AND SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD NO TROUBLE AND HAVE ALSO HELPED MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH THESE. THEY ARE VERY CHEAP ABOUT 10-12 BUCKS HERE IN TASMANIA,ALSO STRETCH YOUR CALVES OUT VERY WELL, MY CALVES ARE 17.5 INCHES AND DURING WARMUPS THEY BLOW UP, GOOD LUCK I WILL BE SUPRISED IF THEY DO NOT HELP U:help:

fwm,
welcome to the forum…
good post…
one quick question…
Do tasmanian keyboards only type in caps??:smiley:

grass is more forgiving than the track that’s for sure. Backwards running / backpedaling will strengthen your shins…

I don’t understand this concept of achilles problems being related to joint angle and too much stretch. I believe the stretch placed on the achilles in sprinting is caused by, and is relative to, the contraction force of the calf muscles, and not a consequence of the ankle joint angle which is not as great as when static stretching.

Would it not be more accurate to describe the force on the achilles as relative to the eccentric load on the tendon rather than the concentric calf contraction?
The absorbtion of the landing forces often cause the most pain as calf concentric strength is often quite small.

Tendon forces will peak at a certain phases, but I was just meaning the stress on the tendon will still be relative to the force produced by the muscles whether contracting eccentrically or concentrically.

Regarding peak stress on the achilles tendon when sprinting, will this occur under eccentric loading or could it it occur in the shortening phase of the stretch shortening cycle which would be classed as the concentric phase?

(Sorry - wasn’t trying to be a smart ass)
:smiley:

Very Good point re: SSC vs Eccentric phase.

I’m not entirely certain myself…

(Is the SSC classed as being in the concentric phase?)

No problem smart ass :smiley: (just kidding)

I regard only the shortening phase of the SSC as concentric…

Re Shin Splints:
There are few sprinters who HAVN’T had them at the start of their careers. They usually clear up with reasonable treatment and don’t recur, if training is appropriate.
Also, I’ve mentionned this before. Replace you flats every three months! Far better to get four cheap pairs per year than one top-of-the-line pair. You can often find great deals at discount stores on discontinued models. Thoughts?

Well When I started sprinting many years ago I also suffered from shin splints and went thru a terrible time.

This is what I did:

  1. Iced my shins with the following rule: 20min ice 20 min off X 3

  2. Went to see a Sports Medicine Specialist (Dr. Micheal Clarfield-Toronto Maple Leafs doctor) and he told me that icing was obviously good, but that the reason I am suffering from pain is b/c I have just started the sport of sprinting and that my shins (Tibialis Anteriors) have not yet developed and so I should do extra work specific for them

  3. His Tx was to give me a long thick rubber band and do various exercises to strengthen the muscle- and it worked!!

  4. By the following season I was totally pain free

  5. Also look into changing your shoes, good brands for tempo training are Nike, New Balance & Saucony…do NOT get adidas, they suck for tempo but are great for warming up for speed days or comp days.

  6. Last but not least, as I tell all my clients and athletes, go to the pool, hydrotherapy is by far one of the best therapies available and fortunately not expensive.

Hope this helps.

In regard to Charlie answer on shoes. I have found, that the new types of shoes with stability and cushioning support cause more problems to my joints than older shoes.

I find that I don’t realise that I am hurting until it is too late…

DMA,
It could be that the new shoes are trying to correct a pre-exisiting problem. You may be a pronator or supinator (eversion or inversion) and thus the shoe is correctng for that and you feel discomfort. As I said, it may be.

Vito

Correct it could be. I am a pronator and have feet shaped like pancakes (Doctors comment).

I am not sure but it happens too regularly for my liking.

I really just want an excuse not to have spend so much money on shoes.